Ninjago Pride 2019
by toothlessturtle21
Summary: Made for Ninjago Pride Week by Evelinaonline on Tumblr. Each day will have a different prompt, so sit back and enjoy the ride! Day Six: Flags
1. Questioning

Jay sat on the bench outside the entrance to the Bounty, sipping a bottle of water as he watched his teammates continue to train. His gaze swept his friends, a bored expression on his face as he watched Zane and Kai face off, punches being dodged and wooden staffs clashing in the center of their own small storm. However, he made a point to draw his attention back to the fight when he drifted over to Cole teaching Lloyd a punching technique.

By now, he knew that whenever he looked at Cole when they were training, it meant that his water bottle wouldn't be enough to quench his thirst. He had a very clear of why he couldn't stop thinking about Cole in the same way he used to think about Nya, but why he felt this way still confused him regardless of his obvious attraction to the Earth Master. Turning his eyes to the ground, he decided to draw comparisons. Yeah, a chart, something that he could look at and it would all make sense to him. All right, let's see...

Lower bodies? Feet didn't really matter to the Lightning Ninja, but legs? Both feminine and masculine legs had their perks. Nya's were smooth and nimble, but at the same time he knew they could crush his head in an instant. Cole's were muscular and sturdy, with the same sort of aura surrounding them. Okay, so maybe he had a thing for his crushes being able to kill him with their thighs. Okay, moving on.

Waists? Jay felt himself blush a little as he glanced up at both the Earth Ninja and the Samurai. Nya was still slender and Cole was still built like an ox. Jay decided to stop thinking about that just in case anyone saw his face turn as red as Kai's gi.

Chests? Nya-

"Hey Jay."

The Lightning Ninja's head snapped up to see Cole _without a shirt_ walking towards him, head nodding in greeting as he grabbed his water. The redhead tried to answer, lips parting as in to say hello, but no sound came out. Cole smirked, unscrewing his water and taking a long sip. Some slipped from his lips and splattered on the dark skin on his chest, and Jay's brain must have short circuited, because the next time his mind focused back, the Earth Ninja was sitting next to him with a crushed water bottle by his feet, eyeing his friend with mild curiosity.

"Cat got your tongue?" He teased, and Jay gave a weak smile before sipping his water, unsure of how to approach this very awkward situation. "You're looking pretty hot."

Jay almost spat out his drink, eyes bugging out as he processed the statement. Cole laughed, watching as Kai jokingly bopped Zane on the head with his staff.

"Dude, I meant sweaty, but hey, if that's what you dig, no judgement here," He said nonchalantly with a small laugh, and Jay knew his face must actually be on fire, there must be seething fire erupting from his ears. He went to take a sip from his water to cool his complexion, but found it empty. Crap. No cover.

"Really, do you need to go inside or something? You're burning up. Here, c'mon, let's get you some more water," Cole gave a small wave to Lloyd, who was facing off with a dummy as he led Jay inside, the Lightning Ninja feeling as though he was going to burst.

Once the pair was safely in the kitchen, Cole sighed deeply, and turned to face his friend.

"Hey, now that the others can't hear us, I know what's up," Cole confessed, sitting on the counter. "I know it's not sunburn or anything. You're not alone."

Jay only nodded, still unsure if Cole knew what he was talking about. For all he knew, Jay was just embarrassed because Cole had his shirt off.

"I get it, you know? It sucks falling for your best friend."

Jay must have looked like a fish out of water, eyes wide, mouth floundering with nothing to say and fingers twitching.

"You... what?" The redhead knew he was an actual tomato by this point, and Cole handed him a bottle next to him so calmly it was almost like he hadn't dropped an atomic bomb on Jay's heart.

"Yeah. Jay, I'm a little more observant than I think you give me credit for. I've seen how you look at me when we're training, and honestly... I think the only difference between us is that my skin color hides blush a bit better," The Earth Ninja admitted, hopping off the counter and sauntering over to the stuttering boy in front of him.

"Cole, I can't believe... I... Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?" Jay finally formed a coherent thought, and a small smile graced the noirette's face.

"Me too bud. Hey, after training, do you want to go get lunch or something? Like a proper date?" Cole scratched the back of his neck, and Jay nodded eagerly.

"Of course. Wait, hang on a second, when you said I looked hot earlier-"

"Pfft, double meaning," Cole waved a hand good-naturedly, and Jay couldn't help but grin, beckoning the Earth Ninja down with his own.

"Come here dirt clod, I've been waiting for forever to kiss you," Jay said boldly, and Cole snorted while be leaned down.

"How romantic," He grumbled before their lips met, and Jay decided to scrap the mental chart. He should save the technical stuff for Zane anyway.


	2. Date

Zane looked at the clock on his phone. 7:02. He tapped his foot, trying to rid himself of the anxiety that was making metaphorical butterflies flutter around in his guts. It was only two minutes, nothing major, nothing to get worried about...

Even thinking about that, he couldn't shake the nerves as he checked his phone clock for what felt like the millionth time, even though only two minutes had passed. 7:04. He rolled his straw wrapper between his fingers, the paper wet from when he stuck it against the side of his glass of water. Just as his clock hit 7:07, he saw a familiar fireball greet the hostess, who pointed him towards his seat. Kai grinned as he sat down across from the Ice Ninja, who was trying to hide how nervous he had been.

"Hey Frosty, how's it going? I haven't seen you all day," Kai took a sip of the water Zane had ordered for him.

"Fine," His boyfriend answered almost uncharacteristically curtly, which made Kai squint. He was confused for a moment, but the way he could see Zane's fingers shaking slightly tipped him off. He abandoned the idea that the Ice Ninja was angry at him immediately, eyes softening in concern.

"Is this about me being late? Sorry, traffic was bad on the way here. I don't know sidewalks could even get that congested," Kai tried to crack a joke to clear Zane's mind, but he still looked troubled. "Hey. I'm sorry, I should've left earlier."

As much as he wanted to reach across the table and hold his beau's hand, he knew they were risking a lot by even eating together, much less showing any PDA.

"It's fine, really. Don't apologize. I'm just being irrational," Zane waved his hand, dismissing Kai's concerns, and the Fire Ninja shook his head vehemently.

"C'mon, I know you get anxious when I'm late. You don't have to be embarrassed," The brunette tried to reassure his partner, but decided to drop the topic when Zane shrugged noncommittedly, deciding to talk later instead of ruining their anniversary dinner. They had been together for six months now, stealing kisses and quick hand squeezes when their teammates weren't looking.

"Okay, I'll drop it. What're you thinking of getting?" Kai picked up the menu, scanning the menu. Zane had insisted they splurge so he could try some gourmet cuisine without having to learn to cook it himself. Kai would have been just as happy with a burger, but he figured the Ice Ninja deserved a treat that he didn't have to cook every once in a while.

"The roasted duck with the orange honey sauce and the side of roasted vegetables," He hummed, pointing to the middle of his own menu, and when Kai followed his instructions, he found a steak section.

"Thanks," Kai smiled sheepishly, knowing Zane was well aware of his picky eating habits. He found a filet mignon with bacon cream sauce, deciding that was the best dish to order and not sound like a three year old. After they had ordered, Zane glanced back at his date to see Kai making heart eyes at him, and stifled a laugh.

"What did I do?" The Ice Ninja asked teasingly, and Kai hummed in response, resting his chin on his hand.

"Nothin'. You're just being pretty like usual," Kai took a sip of his water, and Zane covered his mouth with his hand out of embarrassment, although his boyfriend could see the shy smile behind his fingers; his nails were filed into neat ovals and paint with clear polish to give them a shine.

"Kai, we're in public," Zane weakly defended his reaction, even though he knew trying deterring the Fire Ninja's affection was futile.

"So? Nobody's paying attention to us. Relax Snowflake, this is our night. We've been doing this for half a year now. We're allowed to do something most couples do every week. Just sit back, enjoy your roast duck, and afterwards we'll go take a walk in the park or something. Good?" Kai asked tenderly, and Zane nodded, fingers now folded in front of him.

"Thank you," Zane exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, I suppose I want the same thing. To be normal, I mean. To be able to go on dates in nice restaurants and hold hands at the movies and sit together on boardwalks without it being... wrong."

"I know, I know," Kai sighed, and he made a note to find the quietest park he could just to let Zane fulfill his small, domestic dreams of gentle hand touches and leaning his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "One day you'll have all that and more. I promise."

They continued to make idle chat until their food arrived, and when it did, Kai was pleasantly surprised. He expected to be dragging his feet and have to grin and bear the stuffy, expensive food, but he found he actually liked the sauce covering his steak, and Zane seemed to be equally as happy, dividing his duck into smaller sections as to eat the poultry as neatly as possible.

They paid and left after they were done, careful not to even brush hands as they left for fear of an overeager fan snapping a picture. As soon as they hit a darker part of Ninjago City Park, however, you would have to get a crowbar to pry their fingers apart.

They sat on a bench, gazing up at the moon and stars to the best of their ability thanks to heavy light pollution, but Kai couldn't stop glancing at his beau, almost ethereal under the cool moonlight. Much like Kai's brown eyes exploded under the sunlight, Zane's cool blue seemed to sparkle in the soft glow. Soon enough, he found his boyfriend nestled into the crook of his neck, tucked under his arm with a content smile etched onto his lips.

"Hey babe?" Kai turned to the mass of white hair beside him, which shifted a little so he could see ocean eyes staring back at him. "I love you."

Zane didn't respond for a moment, wrapping his arms tighter around Kai's middle. The Fire Ninja was scared for a second that Zane wouldn't reciprocate the affection and that he had done something wrong, but he felt Zane smile against him with a sleepy exhale.

"I love you too."

As Kai looked between the night sky and his boyfriend that might as well be a star with how breathtaking he was, he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else.


	3. Acceptance

**Hello! The prompt for this one is actually OC/Self Insert, but I don't have any OCs to write about or a desire to write myself into the story. So, I decided to use today as a wildcard, and enjoy the prompt I have now titled "Acceptance". Also,** **tw if anyone needs it, there's a brief mention of homophobic slurs at the end of this chapter. **

* * *

Lloyd looked around nervously, pressed up against the wall with a glass of fruit punch in his hand. Everyone around him was slow dancing, save for his friends on the other side of the room. He had wanted some snacks, so he was trapped in the food corner while his group of safety was on the other side of the sea of romance. Not that he hated when people kissed or anything, he just didn't feel the need to slide in between the crowd and make it well known that the green ninja didn't have a date. Of course, his friends didn't bring any plus-ones to the party, so he supposed he didn't need someone with him.

As he thought more about it to pass the time, he guessed he really didn't want a date. The thought hit him out of nowhere, and almost made him choke on his punch. Was that normal? To not want a partner? Now, he knew he didn't necessarily need a girlfriend, hell, he was 75% sure that the fire and ice ninjas were trying to secretly date each other, but the thought of a girlfriend, boyfriend, or even a nonbinary partner didn't exactly spark anything in him.

Just as he was about to try and slide through the crowd, a familiar face finally popped into view.

"Hey Lloyd, you're trapped over here too?" Nya greeted, holding a cookie in one hand. He hadn't even known she was over here.

"Yeah," He shrugged, still distracted by the realization that had popped into his mind.

"What's wrong?" She frowned. "It's a party. Sure, watching other people kiss is a little bit gross, but you look kinda sad."

Lloyd took a deep breath, and glanced around. "You want to go onto the balcony? I'll tell you out there."

"Sure," She nodded, and the two stayed glued to the wall as they made their way to the large glass doors that were swung open, revealing a platform looking up into the night sky.

"So, um," He fumbled, talking low as not to alert the few people mingling about. "Does everyone want to date someone?"

Nya blinked, taken aback for a moment. "Not necessarily. Most people like the idea, but some people just don't want a partner. Why?"

"I think I'm like that. I mean, I don't want to date anyone. I mean, people dating isn't gross or anything, but I can't imagine myself doing any of that, you know? Kissing isn't really that weird, but as soon as I think of what it'd feel like, I feel like I'm sick to my stomach," He thought for a moment, eyes scanning the ground before shutting with a sigh. "Am I... broken?"

"No," Nya gripped his arm, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You are not broken. If you're searching for advise... I would suggest looking into maybe you being aromantic."

"Aromantic?" Lloyd asked confusedly, eyebrows furrowing as he wracked his brain for the word.

"It's when people have no desire for romantic relationships. Of course, there's words for different types, but from what you're describing, it sounds like it suits you. But you decide for yourself, of course."

"There are other people like me?" Lloyd was shell-shocked, emerald eyes wide with disbelief. "I'm not alone?"

"Of course not. Actually, they're considered part of the LGBT+ community."

That made Lloyd's heart stop.

"Wait, I..." Lloyd leaned on the railing. "I... can't."

Nya immediately turned sour, eyes going narrow.

"Lloyd, you're not homophobic, are you?"

"No, no," He reassured, hands flying up defensively. "It's just at Darkley's... the boys there weren't exactly the nicest, obviously. A lot of slurs were thrown around, and anyone who wasn't romantically interested in girls despite us being ten years old was instantly dubbed 'gay' or a 'fag'. It just happened that I fell into that category to them."

Nya wrapped an arm around him, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, Lloyd."

"It's not that I dislike gay people, I just don't know if I'm willing to identify like that," He slowly sunk down against the railing, and Nya followed. "Not after finding it always spray painted onto my locker and people yelling it as they pushed me down the stairs."

"Nobody on the Bounty is going to call you anything like that. You don't have to tell the others if you don't want to, but I think it'd be nice to, y'know, take a deep breath."

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded contemplatively, looking up at the stars. "Yeah, I will. I- I trust them. They're different than Darkley's. Who knows, maybe they'll help me understand what this whole aromantic thing is all about."


	4. Allies

"Hey Kai?" Nya said as she applied makeup to her cheekbones, glancing up at her brother, who was sitting around on her bed just to give her some company.

"Yeah?" He said, scrolling through his phone, checking out the latest trending hashtags and memes.

"I know you and Zane are together."

Kai physically startled, juggling his phone for a second before catching it with his palms, gaping at his sister in awe.

"Wh- What?"

"I said that I know you and Zane are dating," She put down her brush and turned away from her vanity to look at her brother, who was still shell-shocked.

"Wait, how? I thought we were doing pretty good with this whole secret thing," He mumbled, and Nya smirked back at him.

"I don't know how long you've been dating for, but I went to ask you a question and you two were both asleep together on your bed. I would've just walked away, but you two were practically wrapped around each other. Speaking of that, you mind bringing him in here?" She asked sweetly, turning back to sharpen her highlighter. Kai nodded nervously and slipped out, heart beating a million times with each footstep he took towards the kitchen. To his relief, Zane was the only one there, a simple white apron tied around his neck as opposed to his pink frilly one, spatula in hand as he readied the first batch of pancakes.

"Morning," The Fire Ninja greeted, sauntering as casually as he could over to his boyfriend, as not to alarm him.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" Zane glanced around before planting a peck on Kai's cheek, not noticing the unsteady glances being cast his way.

"Fine, fine. But uh," Kai dropped his voice to a whisper. "Nya just told me she found out about us. Remember when you were telling me stories about your dad and then we fell asleep? Turns out someone did see us."

Zane had set the down the spatula, both hands on the countertop with his head hung between his arms.

"Hey, it's ok. She's not upset," Kai soothed, patting the Ice Ninja's back as he tugged on his sleeve. "She wanted to talk to you. That's all. It'll be fine."

Kai had absolutely no way of knowing it was all fine, and Zane thought this with a bitter expression as he was led down the hall after the stove was shut off and his apron was put away. Kai took one last deep breath before opening her door, where she had just finished applying her last bit of mascara. She stood after setting her brush down, and approached the Ninja of Ice, his expression steeling as he expected threats of violence to be hurled his way.

He hadn't anticipated a hug.

Just like that, Nya's arms were wrapped around him, and he was hugging back, not quite sure what all of this meant.

"Thank you," She said as she pulled away, and Zane's confusion must have been evident on his face. "For loving him. I don't need to worry about him finding someone nice when he has you. If you're worried about me disapproving because you're a dude, I honestly couldn't care less. Really."

Zane was fairly sure he had never felt so relieved as Kai hugged his sister, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"I love you sis," He contended, and she smiled.

"Right back at you bro."

"Nya... thank you," Zane exhaled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Telling Nya would have been the largest obstacle in making their relationship public, as she deserved to know before they dropped the bomb on the rest of the crew.

"Kai, can you leave us alone for a second?" The Samurai asked politely, and Kai agreed, no longer worried for his boyfriend's life.

Once alone, Nya sat down on her bed, and pat the sheets beside her. Zane took the invitation, and folded his hands gently in his lap once he was seated.

"I'm not going to give you the good ol' protective sibling talk, I just want to reiterate how happy I am that Kai has you. You are seriously the only person on this ship with a sensible head on your shoulders, and I think you balance out Kai's impulsiveness. Also, you're the only one who can properly cook spicy food," She smirked, but her voice faltered for a second when she saw Zane's face. His eyes were so wide that his irises were completely surrounded by white, lips gently parted. "Zane, are you-"

She was cut off by Zane wrapping his arms around her, much more personal than her quick squeeze earlier.

"Thank you, Nya," He said into her shoulder. "I don't think you understand how much this means to me."

"No problem, buddy."

* * *

Later, Kai and Nya were washing dishes together, standing side by side as they scrubbed.

"Hey sis? Thanks for what you said to Zane earlier. I don't think he's stopped smiling since," He set a plate down on the counter, and Nya snickered.

"I didn't even say anything revolutionary. Maybe you should compliment him more. Probably needs the self esteem boost."

"I'm nice to him," Kai scoffed playfully, "He wouldn't be dating me if I wasn't. It's just... he's happy to have some validation. He was worried about you since we started dating."

"And how long ago was that?"

"About six months," Kai shrugged, and Nya nodded, impressed.

"Congrats. As far as I know, everyone else has no idea."

"And we intend to keep it that way," Kai unintentionally glared at the dish in his hand for a second before setting it down, and Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"What if someone is homophobic? We're not willing to break up the team or with each other because we made the mistake of trusting our teammates. And I know that sounds stupid and selfish, but I couldn't stand to lose him. I can't."

"Well, you need to."

Kai had picked up a dish at the start of his small rant, and on that note, it slipped out of his hand and came crashing to the ground, shattering on impact.

Nya scrambled back as though a snake had lunged itself at her, and Kai could only stare in shock as a few ceramic pieces slashed into his feet. Quick footsteps approached the room, and soon Zane was scooping a protesting Kai into his arms to remove shards of plate from his feet.

"Zane, I can walk, I'll be fine," The Fire Ninja resisted, but only slightly, as Zane's look sent a very clear message of _shut up and let me help you_.

Nya volunteered to sweep up the mess, so Zane took Kai to the bathroom, where all of the bandages were. He set Kai down on the sink, where he could kneel and easily access his feet.

"What happened?" Zane asked as he grabbed a pair of tweezers to inspect for any remaining shards.

"I just dropped a plate," Kai huffed, and Zane bit his lip, wanting to pry but knowing Kai was not in the mood to talk.

"This might sting a little," The Ice Ninja warned as he removed a piece from a larger gash, Kai hissing in response. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about me, keep doing your job," Kai said through gritted teeth, and Zane apologetically rubbed his leg as he stood, wetting a cotton ball with water before dabbing at the wounds with care, as not to upset the Fire Ninja even more.

"I don't know what has made you irritable, but I won't press. I am sorry if I did anything to upset you," Zane said as a safety measure as he cleaned the cuts, and Kai reached down to rest a hand on Zane's head.

"Stop. You know you didn't do anything. It's just... Nya asked why we haven't told the team, and I got upset and dropped the plate."

"Did you tell her the truth?" Zane asked, knowing this topic was very volatile between them, even though they both held similar mindsets. Kai hummed in affirmation, giving Zane's hair a quick ruffle before retracting his hand.

"She said that we needed to," Kai fidgeted his fingers in his lap, and Zane hesitated in his cleaning.

"And why is that?"

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask."

"I trust we are still on the same page on this issue?" Zane grabbed a new wet cotton ball, and Kai sighed.

"Actually, Zane, I think we should," Kai steeled himself for his boyfriend's retaliation, but Zane merely faltered in his movements, looking up at his beau with the same blue eyes Kai could get lost in for hours.

"Why? I thought we both had agreed that telling our teammates could potentially shatter our dynamic as a crew. We could ruin friendships and relationships with each other, they might be closeted homophobes, we don't know," Zane's voice cracked on the last three words, and Kai chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"I think we can trust them. I know you're scared," The Fire Ninja couldn't stand to see Zane so distressed, but he knew he had to get his point out there, "but we can't stay silent forever. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. We can lounge on the couch without fearing someone's going to walk in on us, or you could lean your head on my shoulder when we're watching movies with the crew."

Zane shut his eyes, running numbers through his head, equations that he had explained to Kai when they had first begun dating. When his eyes fluttered open, hands reaching for the bandages, he nodded.

"Alright. We can inform the others of our relationship."


	5. Coming Out

Kai gave Zane a nervous glance, the Ice Ninja returning it with the addition of a small smile. They were all gathered in the game room, just for the quality team bonding they enjoyed, with each ninja being on their phones or playing video games with themselves in Jay's case.

Kai took a deep breath, and the look in his eyes took on a more determined glaze.

"Hey guys?" He announced. "We kinda have something to say."

Cole and Lloyd looked up from their phones, and Jay paused his game to give his attention to Kai. Nya smiled, knowing where this was going.

"We?" Cole cocked his head, and Zane nodded.

"Yes, we," The Ice Ninja steeled himself, fingers curling on his knees. "We haven't exactly been straight with you all."

Kai broke the nervous tension by laughing at the Ice Ninja's unintentional pun, making the rest of the ninja look between each other with faces of varying levels of concern. Zane elbowed the Fire Ninja lightly just to shut him up, taking a deep breath.

"Kai and I have been dating for the last six months."

You could hear a pin drop. The two nervously scanned their audience for any reaction, but found only blank stares for a few heart-stopping seconds.

"Called it," Lloyd finally mumbled, but Jay and Cole exchanged a glance that Kai couldn't decipher.

"For six months?" Cole asked, and the two nodded. "Wow, that's a while."

"Yeah. We were going to tell you guys near the start, but we kind of got scared and decided not to. We didn't want us being together to hurt the team," Kai admitted, and made the bold decision to hook his fingers around Zane's, not quite holding hands, but enough contact for both ninja to be reassured.

"Kai, there's not much you could tell us to make us turn you away. We're a pretty close knit team," Cole smiled, but his smile soon fell into a smirk. "That being said, if you hurt Zane in any way, shape, or form we will cut you."

"No need, I assure you Kai is very nice to me. I appreciate the sentiment though," Zane swallowed down the wave of emotions hitting him at once. Kai watched as his boyfriend blinked away tears, a smile plastered on his lips.

"Hey, it's ok. We're good," Kai mumbled, thumbing over Zane's knuckles as the Ice Ninja nodded.

"Don't cry, Tin Can, I'll start crying too," Jay joked, but there was some truth to his words. Cole knew it too, and slung an arm around the blue ninja's shoulders.

"Hey, uh, to change topics," Cole prompted, and the team turned their gazes towards the pair. "Jay and I are dating too. Not for six months or anything, more like six days, but it seemed like now is a good time to say that."

Kai scoffed, turning to Zane. "We were worried about having a potential homophobe on the team. Our friends are just as gay as we are!"

Zane laughed, realizing the previous months of pain were deemed totally irrelevant, before slapping a hand over his mouth as not to ruin the moment.

"Really though, congrats," Nya piped in, and glanced towards Lloyd, who had remained for the majority of the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm glad I don't have to see Jay ogling Cole while I'm trying to learn how to throw a goddamn punch," The Green Ninja playfully glared at the Lightning Ninja, who flushed as he was called out. "But actually, I guess it's my turn."

The ninja hushed, sensing that this one was somehow different, more serious than the last few.

"Nya and I talked it out, and after a while of thinking about it," He wrung his hands, exhaling deeply. "I, uh, think I'm aromantic."

After doing a but of research, he expected a backlash of "what's that?" and "oh you'll grow out of it" and "what are you, a robot?", the latter being especially offensive in this particular scenario. But to his surprise, the team smiled, pride in all of their faces.

"Cool," Jay sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward to look at Lloyd. "Your life is a million times more simple than the rest of us."

"Just as valid as the rest of us, kid," Kai winked, seeing how nervous the Green Ninja was, and Zane nodded eagerly next to him, wearing the face of a very proud mom.

"Man, I love you guys," Lloyd was trying his best not to cry, which made Cole wrap him in a bear hug, followed by the rest of the team. Everyone snuggled around each other, they had all never felt more loved.


	6. Flags

Jay grinned as everyone held packages in their hands, eying the Lightning Ninja with suspicion.

"Jay, what is this?" Cole asked, feeling how light the cardboard was in his hands.

"Just open 'em. C'mon," Jay urged. "I'm not that cruel, right?"

Kai was the first to rip his open, watching as a flag painted in blue, purple, and pink peeked out beyond the brown.

"You got me a bi flag?" He asked. "I mean, thank you, but why?"

"I thought that since we're all out to each other, we might as well have a bit of pride in ourselves," The blue ninja reached into his own, pulling out an identical flag.

Now knowing what was inside the boxes, Cole pulled out a rainbow, Zane pulled out yellow, pink, and blue, and Lloyd pulled out two different flags. He must have looked confused, because Jay was quick to offer an explanation.

"Well, there are two different ones that people like to use, so I figured I'd let you chose which one you prefer. I can send one back, or you can keep them both."

"Jay... thank you," Zane held his pan flag close to his chest, cradling the fabric with care.

"Aw, come here," Kai leapt up from his chair, capturing Jay in a headlock and digging his knuckles into the Lightning Ninja's hair, who laughed as his hands flew up to try and pry the Fire Ninja's arm off of him.

As Zane and Cole joined in the teasing, they noticed that Lloyd was still sitting in his chair, staring at the two flags in his hands, looking between them.

"You ok there, green bean?" Cole watched as Lloyd's eyes scanned the ninja before responding.

"You guys really believe me? That I'm aromantic?" He asked tentatively, and the ninjas' hearts collectively shattered.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we?" Jay tried to sound unaffected, but Lloyd just nodded and stared at the fabric.

"Thanks," He mumbled, but Jay heard the heart behind it.

"No prob, bob," The Lightning Ninja smiled, and the Green Ninja mirrored it with a small one of his own.

* * *

To Jay's delight, everyone was doing what he had intended with the flags, which was hanging them outside their bedroom doors. Kai and Zane, who were now sharing a bedroom, had hung both on either side of Kai's room, a small sign handwritten by Kai noting that Zane's room was still off limits for the rest of the Bounty, as the pair were storing their clothes there.

Cole and Jay hadn't quite reached that level yet, and were content with sleeping in their own beds for now. They each hung theirs over the top of their doors, and Lloyd had hung both of his in the same fashion as fire and ice.

Sensei had been surprisingly cool with most of his team dating each other, and had even had Lloyd explain to him what his flags mean as to better understand. Their teacher also couldn't quite grasp why Kai and Zane's flags meant different things, but both Ninja greatly appreciated his support anyway. He was a little apprehensive to let them share a room, raising an eyebrow as he asked them what they intended to do with a shared room, and Zane couldn't understand why Kai stammered out a response.

"Sensei!"

"We would sleep. What is so embarrassing about that?" Zane eyed his boyfriend with curiosity, and Sensei rested a hand on the Ice Ninja's shoulder.

"Nothing. There is nothing embarrassing about that," Their teacher looked at Kai as he said it, and the Fire Ninja nodded, regaining his composure. As he dismissed them, he caught Kai on the way out.

"Zane's innocence is a gift not many have. Do not corrupt him, please. The team benefits from the breath of fresh air we get from his perspective," Wu laughed as he sent Kai away with the tips of his ears searing hot, even for a fire master.

Later that night, when the two were laying in bed, Kai and Zane each reading their own books, Zane suddenly groaned, covering his face with his reading.

"What?" The Fire Ninja looked over at his boyfriend, who had yet to reveal his face.

"I finally understand why you were so embarrassed earlier," The Nindroid mumbled, sliding his book down into his lap, marking his page before leaning his head on Kai's shoulder. "Besides that, I like sharing a room."

"Me too," Kai followed suit, snuggling up next to the Ice Ninja with a content sigh. "Y'know, for the Ice Ninja, you're pretty warm in bed."

Zane just hummed in response, eyes fluttering shut as Kai turned off the light, the two getting some much needed rest.


End file.
